Sunday, July 21, 2013

Recommendations are always welcome. Pop a note into the comments if you can think of a movie/TV show/book/comic you think I might enjoy.

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

Jun 5th

The Legend of Oz: Scarecrow #2 - I actually quite like this strange version of the Scarecrow. Her tragic beginnings make some of what happened in the main series make a little more sense. Fun version of Oz.

Earth 2 #13 - Steel is a fascinating character, but not one that I enjoy a lot. The new information about Sam could be quite a great storyline.

Green Lantern #21 - I've already forgotten how the last storyline ended. And I hate flashbacks that don't catch up to the beginning of the book before the end of the issue. Ug.

Astro City #1 - Well, a new hero and some strange other new characters. I'm awaiting a fun ride. It's great to see this book return.

My book this week was Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez with Kristin Ohlson. Somebody loaned this to me, but I can't remember who. If you want the book back, remind me and I'll hand it over. Ahem. The story is a "true" tale of how a beautician went to Afghanistan to teach women the arts of cosmetology and what happened through her eyes. The book is clearly her viewpoint, so while it's true, it's also got the typical flaws of any first-person narrative. There's also the sense, while you are reading the book, that the author really doesn't understand the culture at all, so much so that the people she is discussing could be put into real danger by her casual mentions of them and what they do or don't do. It's a disturbing read on that level. On the other hand, it's an incredibly different way to look at another culture, one that I would never have personally dreamed of thinking about. So it's got that. Overall, I finished the book with worry about what happened to the women she taught but feeling like I had learned quite a bit about Afghan culture. Definitely a mix of good and bad.